And So It Begins
by SquintyEye
Summary: A sequel to "Really Squinty Squints". What IS happening in Zack's love life? Don't YOU want to know? BB HA ZOC
1. He SO got some

Zack sidled into Dr. Saroyan's office at 9:12 a.m. The workday began officially each day with a meeting at 8:30 a.m. Although crime scenes were the exciting part of their jobs, the mundane had to be completed as well. Paperwork on recently identified Limbo cases had to be filed, documentation on all experiments had to be submitted… The Jeffersonian was a busy place.

"Alright, people. Hop to it!" Cam said with a smile as she deposited the remaining file folders into Zack's hands as she walked to the doorway. "I'll be out again today, meeting with Dr. Goodman and a few of the benefactors about some new lab equipment I'd like to get in here. You can reach me by cell if you must. And by must, I mean don't. Thanks." With a wave, she was gone.

The group did not immediately disperse as was most common after such meetings. Instead, all eyes were on Zack. He didn't exactly know how to respond. He just knew that eight pairs of eyes, all focused on him, really made him uncomfortable. So, he flashed a quick, awkward smile and darted from the room.

"Does that mean it didn't go well?" Brennan asked, confused by Zack's hasty departure. "Ange! I thought you said that—"

"I thought it WAS gonna go well! She LIKED him, Bren! There is NO WAY he screwed that up!" Angela looked at the empty spot by the door so recently occupied by Zack, completely flabbergasted.

"Well," Hodgins said, looking amused. "This IS Zack. I have full confidence in him that he can screw up just about anything, really." He held up his hands in defense. "Not that I WANTED him to. Sheesh, people!"

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Zack was hunched over the counter in the break room, stirring ungodly amounts of sugar into his already syrupy sweet coffee. The problem with coffee, he'd decided, was that it tasted awful. Yet, everyone drank it, so he'd learned how to make it tolerable for himself. Raising the cup to his lips, he tasted the concoction and his teeth practically twitched. Yum.

Gathering up his cup, his lab coat, and the folders Cam had given him, he turned to head to his station and collided with Naomi. He opened his mouth to apologize profusely for the coffee splattered all over her white blouse and dripping down her neck, but then closed it again. The memory of what she'd almost lost him was entirely too fresh in his mind. Instead, he forced his face to go blank as he looked at her. "Hmmm," was all he mumbled as he sidestepped her.

Just past her, in the hallway were his colleagues, all gaping at the mess he'd left behind.

With a half smile, Zack shrugged and said, "Whoops!" as he continued on his way back into the forensics lab.

"He SO got some," Hodgins cackled.

Just past her, in the hallway were his colleagues, all gaping at the mess he'd left behind.

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A/N ::smiles innocently:: So, did he or didn't he? Ya like? Reviews make stories happen more quickly… 


	2. What did I do wrong, now

"Dude!" Hodgins raced after Zack. "You can NOT leave us hanging like that! What happened with Brynn? Angela said she loaned her an extra key to your place and we thought that maybe…" Hodgins grinned. "YOU know!"

"A gentleman isn't supposed to discuss these kinds of things, am I right?" Zack's brow furrowed as he responded. Neatly stacking his case files on the stainless steel table, he then looked up sipped the remnant of his coffee.

"Ok, dude. One, You are SO not allowed to have caffeine. Remember last time you had a Mountain Dew? I thought we were going to have to tranquilize you. And, two, you're not a gentleman, you're Zack," Hodgins pointed out. "Plus, by NOT saying anything, I think that you're actually implying that you and a certain redhead got it on last night, so really, you're telling us anyhow."

"But, I didn't say—"

"Sweetie, seriously." Angela, with Dr. Brennan in tow, walked up to his table. "What happened? You seem… Umm…"

"Out of sorts," Dr. Brennan supplied, helpfully.

"Yes!" Angela agreed. "And that could be for either good or bad reasons. And really, sweetie, what are friends for if not to celebrate the good and encourage you after the bad?"

"Plus, you're all dying to know what happened," Zack said, pressing his lips together in a tight smile.

"That, too."

Zack looked at Dr. Brennan, who nodded at him. "Really, Zack, this is a very common ritual amongst… Well, usually males in socials circles… But, discussing sexual conquests is quite common. And, as a male, obviously you would want to flaunt your masculinity in said situation."

Zack picked back up his cup of coffee to take a sip when Booth trotted up the stairs into the lab.

"Is that coffee? Are you even allowed to have that, Zack? I thought that caffeine made you—"

"Hyper?" the younger man supplied.

"More annoying than usual," Booth responded with a smirk. "Mornin', Bones. I come bearing terrific news!"

"We have a case?" Zack asked hopefully.

"Huh? Oh, no… Sweets is sick and had to cancel his afternoon appointments." Booth smirked. "Which, really, is even better than decomposing bodies, would you agree?"

"No," Zack muttered under his breath.

"Oh, good!" Dr. Brennan exclaimed. "Now we have time to hear about how Zack's night went." She turned away from Booth and looked at her former grad student expectantly. "Well?"

"Agent Booth, don't you think it would be impermissibly rude of me to talk to everyone about what Brynn and I did last night?"

"What? No. I mean, yes! What I'm saying is I do NOT want to hear about squinty freakiness. From ANY of you people. Got that?"

"See?" Zack said triumphantly.

"He's outnumbered, dude. Start talking," Hodgins directed, confiscating the coffee cup and taking a swig. "Holy LORD! How much sugar did you put in here?"

Zack rolled his eyes heavenward.

"It was terrific and I don't wanna screw it all up by saying things I shouldn't!" Zack exploded. "And all of you are making me second guess everything all over again, because I thought it was about the most perfect evening ever and now, because we did NOT have intercourse, I'm starting to wonder if maybe it wasn't such a great night. I mean, if that was what was expected, then no I guess we didn't have a "good" time, but I kissed her and it was more amazing than I've ever even fantasized about and then we talked and kissed some more and we were both completely comfortable and… And…" Zack let out a groan. "I was happy with how everything went."

Booth and Hodgins were looking confused, but Angela and Dr. Brennan were grinning from ear to ear.

Zack sighed, rubbing his temples wearily. He angled his body towards Booth and Hodgins. "What did I do wrong, now?"

"So, you two didn't…" Hodgins gaped at Zack.

"No."

"You were late to work, though!"

"Well, that happens when I forget to set my alarm clock and no one wakes me up."

"You ran away from us this morning after the meeting!"

"Oh. That. Well… All of you were looking at me so intently. It made me very uncomfortable. I left in a hurry to make sure my shirt was on right side out, my pants were zipped, and I didn't have shaving cream on my face still."

Angela giggled and Zack turned to offer her a half smile. She stepped forward and hugged him and smooched him on the cheek. "I'm proud of you, sweetie. She's a doll."

"When is she coming back?" Dr. Brennan asked.

"It depends on if she gets the job here. Otherwise, I guess she would be staying at the CDC in Atlanta," he frowned. "That would be awful. I don't think she likes it there very much, not to mention that I looked on the internet this morning and there are no positions in the Atlanta area for a forensic anthropologist and it'll take me at least six months to complete my engineering doctorate."

Eyes dazed, four heads snapped his way in whiplash-inducing fashion. What had their resident boy genius just said?

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A/N : Review. Pretty please? You know you wanna… Doesn't the "submit review" option look all nice and sparkly?


	3. A somewhat less vocal exercise

Hodgins was inputting some strange findings into a lab report. "This is bizarre! There are coarse particulates of silica ground into the bone. For that to happen, there would have to be…" He looked up when he realized he was essentially talking to himself. "Earth to Angela? Hello? What's wrong, baby?"

Angela was sitting on Hodgin's desk, legs crossed, watching Zack catalogue the remains in front of him. She looked beautiful, as always, yet remarkably sad, also. "He'll leave, Hodgie. You know he will."

He turned his gaze over to the gangly man across the lab. Zack was moving more quickly than usual as he rearranged the skeletal sections from Limbo. "Looks like the coffee made him jittery, babe," he grinned. "Zack's like a ferret on amphetamines when he has caffeine in his system. He's not gonna go anywhere."

"What about the stack of papers on the end of the table?" Angela asked with narrowed eyes.

"Probably the cases he's doing for Cam. I bet he just took them out of the folders or something," Hodgins shrugged. "Ange, it's not big deal. Zack is NOT going to leave the Jeffersonian!"

"It's his engineering dissertation," Angela said bluntly. When I was walking back from taking those sketches to Brennan earlier, I saw what it was. Jack, I think he was serious. I think he WILL leave the Jeffersonian if he has to."

Hodgins looked from Angela's distraught eyes back to Zack, who was still working rapidly. It pained him to admit it, but she might have a point.

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Bones was working on her latest novel in her office. Booth knew that if he distracted her, she'd complain… But he also knew she wouldn't really mean it. Sure, they pretended not to notice the sparks that flew when they were together, but both he and Bones were more than well aware of their sexual energy.

"Hey, Bones. How's it hanging?" Booth stationed himself in the chair across from her desk and propped his feet up on her desk.

"I don't know what that means," she said, eyes flicking from the computer monitor to his feet. "And were you raised in a BARN?" She reached out and smacked one of his loafered feet.

Booth grinned and lowered his feet to the ground.

The phone on the desk rang and Bones snatched it up at once.

"Dr. Brennan… Yes, Dr. Knott. Thank you, for returning my call so quickly. I was calling to ask about an interview you recently conducted with a Dr. Brynn McKenna? … No, it's on a personal note, I met her through a colleague of mine when she was up interviewing… Mmm hmmm… Really? How ironic… I'm sure it was on a personal note as well. Oh, I agree completely. Yes, I'm sure she is ideal for your department. And she seems like a very level headed young woman… Excellent… Again, thanks so much for calling me back so quickly." She disconnected, looking pleased.

"That was so nosey! Bad squint!" Booth admonished. "I take it she got the job, though? That would certainly be good news for your boy out there."

"Funny you should mention it being nosey. It seems that an FBI background check was issued, just this morning, on all new medical doctors in the virology department. Including those who were potential 'new hires.' I wonder who that could have been?" she sing-songed.

"I did NOT do it for Zack!"

"Really? You've just taken an interest in virology?" Bones smirked at her partner as she stood and walked around her desk to him.

"I was a squint for Halloween, not in real life, Bones. And, I did it for ME. I remember that Zack going to Iraq caused me all sorts of grief. I would imagine him moving into the deep south would be grounds for homicide on your part." Booth was a little disconcerted at how close Bones was standing to him. "Just for my sanity, Bones."

"And it had nothing to do with Zack's happiness? Or the fact that Hodgins, Angela, myself and probably even YOU would all be sad without him around?" She stepped back and put her hands on her hips.

Booth exhaled. "Ok, so, maybe I did it a little for the Squint Squad, too." He looked up at her raised eyebrows. "And for you, Bones. Your happiness might have played a TINY little part. But, no, not for me at all. I mean, c'mon. This is ZACK we're talking about! I think he really might be an alien or something," Booth chuckled nervously. "The kid's not human. I mean, look at him darting around out—"

Bones cut him off as she bent down and kissed him lightly on the lips. "Thank you, Booth. For watching out for your squints."

Booth cleared his throat and tried to play off the lusty trance he'd slipped into during the kiss. "Glad to be of service, Bones. Just, for God's sake, don't let the kid ask me about sexual positions again."

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"Rudimentary spinous process, transverse process, transverse foramen for the vertebral artery…" Zack was muttering to himself as he assembled the last bit of the spine of the skeleton in front of him. "Alright." He snatched up the camera to take documentary photographs of the skeleton. He knew he was rushing a bit, but he ha so much he needed to get done today. After looking over his engineering dissertation, he decided that really, he would be able to complete it in less time than he's originally thought. When Hodgins had questioned his work ethic the year before, he'd made a mad dash to complete his research. He didn't want his colleagues to think ill of him. Of course, nothing else was mentioned about it and he'd let it fall by the wayside. Until now. Sure, he might be jumping the gun (he'd learned that phrase from Agent Booth—surprisingly, it didn't involve calisthenics OR a gun) but he figured it would be best to be prepared to finish it quickly if he needed to.

While marking the notations on the standard lab documents, Zack's mind wandered. Surely Brynn would get the D.C. job. She was vastly intelligent, considerably more personable than he was, and highly qualified for the position. Really, the idea of moving to a new state and having to start anew in social situations disturbed him. But, he WAS willing to do it. Even though the idea made him a little sick to his stomach.

After he had kissed her, Brynn had just stood there for a second. He'd even asked if he was in trouble, but then she'd laughed and said of course not. He admitted that he was pretty sure he was in love with her and she'd then kissed HIM. But, then, his treacherous stomach had growled REALLY loudly and Brynn started laughing. So, they decided to order some Chinese food. When it got there, they'd sat on the floor in the living room, eating out of one another's take out containers and talking about travel and work and friendships they'd each managed to forge in spite of their condition. He found out that she had gone out with a couple of guys but had never gotten physical with them—she found out that Naomi was… Well, that she was something Zack really didn't want to talk about. Which, surely, was enough to give her all of the information she needed.

As time passed, there was less conversing. Not that there wasn't more to talk about, it was just that their lips were engaged in a somewhat less vocal exercise. Since she'd had a red eye flight back to Atlanta, Brynn had left his place just after 4 a.m., leaving herself just enough time to pick up her things at the hotel and get checked into Dulles for her flight back south. Which left Zack exactly enough time for a much needed cold shower and to fall asleep… Which led to much undue speculation from his friends about his tardiness.

He looked up and saw Hodgins and Angela, both watching him. He waved and they startled, both attempting to feign interest in whatever dirt was on Hodgins' work station today. Cutting his eyes in the direction of Dr. Brennan's office, he saw Agent Booth and Dr. Brennan watching him surreptitiously. He wiggled his fingers in a child-like wave in their direction as well. Agent Booth looked startled, but Dr. Brennan just smiled and gestured for him to come over.

Yawning as he shoved back his chair, Zack stood and walked to Dr. Brennan's office, wondering what kind of ribbing Agent Booth would have for him about the whole situation.

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A/N : OK, so… You know what happened (and what didn't!!) with Brynn and Zack. He just doesn't seem the type to… Well, you know! LOL Do you like? Are you feeling warm fuzzies? You know what would make me feel warm and fuzzy? Reviews, of course!


	4. Someone forgot to hide the porn

Booth was amused. He'd been watching Zack dart around the lab for the past 10 minutes or so. Parker had nothing on this squint in the way of hyperactivity. Which struck Booth as odd, since when the anthropologist wasn't working, he seemed mere heartbeats away from a coma. Or "sleep mode" like a computer. That thought made him grin. He'd have to make a robot joke about Zack to either Hodgins or Bones, soon. It'd been too long.

Bones was in a meeting with Cam, explaining her choice to not take on another grad student at the moment. Booth knew that Bones understood the dangers of working so closely with the FBI. It DID put the squints in harm's way on occasion. It was fine for the group that had already been inundated with the "expect the unexpected" way of life, but to bring yet another innocent into the mix with the Gormogon case—well, Booth agreed that it would be morally questionable.

The day was winding down and the Jeffersonian seemed less abuzz with activity than usual. Of course, Zack was still cataloguing bones, completing his report, and watching the clock with the efficiency of a hummingbird. Hodgins and Angela had finished up their actual work some time before and were now just waiting on Zack to finish his so that they could give him a ride home.

"Did the kid have coffee again today?" Booth asked Angela as she and Hodgins walked over to chat.

"Coffee? No, he DID have a giant packet of Skittles for lunch today, but that's not why he's in such a rush." Angela chuckled. "Brynn's coming into town bright and early tomorrow morning and he wants to make sure he's not going to have anything he might need to come into the lab to finish up."

"Does he ever actually eat real food?" Booth asked in wonderment. "I didn't know it was possible to live off of sugar and artificial preservatives!"

"He's living proof, dude," Hodgins grinned as he watched Zack snap the last of the pictures for the file. "I'm sure his internal organs are mummified by now, thanks to all of the hydrogenated oils, thiamin, and niacinamide."

"I find the fact that you can list preservatives a very sad commentary on what you find fun in life," Booth deadpanned. The he winked at Angela, "If you didn't have Angela here, I'd say that you were as pathetic, if not more, than Zack. But, I must say, she ups your 'coolness factor' considerably."

"Awww, that's the sweetest thing you've ever said to me, Booth," Angela giggled. "What're you doing hanging out around the lab on a Friday afternoon?"

"Ah. Umm, Bones and I were talking about cooking earlier this week and I told her I made a terrific seafood alfredo. She didn't believe me, so I invited her over to experience it tonight."

"Like a DATE?" Hodgins smirked.

"No! Of course not. This is just a friendly little meal at my place. A date would be… Well, not 'friendly' if you get my drift. It would be more romantic with flowers and—"

"Wine?"

"Yeah. What? No! Wine is just part of dinner."

"So, you're having wine with dinner?" Hodgins questioned as Angela clamped her hand over her mouth to cover her grin.

"Don't YOU have wine with dinner sometimes?" Booth asked testily.

"Yeah, but then, Angela and I don't have friendly little get togethers like you and Dr. Brennan." A grin broke out over Hodgins face. "You know… You've picked on Zack for two weeks straight for not making a move on Brynn…"

Booth eyes narrowed.

"But, really, I think the two of you might have a little something in common with one another when it comes to women. Both of you are too chicken to make a move on—"

Hodgins trailed off as Booth glared and pulled back his jacket to show his gun.

"Dude! Why do you always threaten to shoot me?"

"Dude!" Booth snapped back sarcastically, "Because you deserve it!"

"Did I come at a bad time?" came a sweet southern drawl from behind them. "Because, ya know, I could always hang out in the snow if there's going to be a murder. Plausible deniability and all that…"

"Brynn!" Angela squealed and raced down the stairs where she hugged the tiny girl. "Sweetie! I thought you weren't flying in until tomorrow?" She stepped back to look at the young woman and was struck again by how young she looked. She could use a personal shopper, Angela decided. Wearing jeans and a crocheted navy sweater over a white oxford shirt, the only thing that looked slightly different about her from their first meeting was that Brynn was wearing glasses on this occasion. Angela suspected she could be downright sexy if she chose to be, though, she had to admit she doubted that would ever happen of Brynn's own free will.

"I wasn't supposed to, but then the airlines had overbooked that flight, so they sent out an email looking for people who would be willing to change their flight date and time and I figured that— What's so funny?"

Booth and Hodgins smirked and shook their heads, studiously avoiding looking at one another, lest they burst into laughter. So Zack WASN'T the only person in the world to deliver whole speeches without breathing.

"They're assholes, sweetie. Just ignore them. Most everyone else does," Angela said, shooting daggers at the two men beside her as she swiped her security card to allow herself and Brynn onto the platform. Then she called out, "Zack! Are you about done?"

Zack didn't look up from the computer where he was inputting bone density readings from his print out. "I'm almost done, then we can go. It's not my fault that this is taking longer than anticipated. Tell Hodgins that I—"

"Sweetie," Angela tapped him on the back.

Zack turned toward her, looking apologetic when he caught sight of Brynn and froze. "I thought you weren't getting in until tomorrow morning?" he squeaked.

"Ummm, surprise?" she said, looking confused. "Are you not glad I'm here early?"

"No! I am! I just wasn't expecting you tonight. Of course I'm glad you're here," Zack said, looking ever so slightly panicked.

"Uh oh! Someone forgot to hide the porn!" Hodgins stage whispered gleefully.

Brynn raised her eyebrows, looking faintly amused, Angela covered her mouth as she giggled and Booth made a horrible face. Zack didn't even dignify the comment with a dirty look. He just saved his document quickly and stood up to hug Brynn.

"Why do ya look so stressed out then?" she asked.

"It just caught me off guard. You know the unexpected and me. I'm glad you're here," Zack smiled, trying to look as if everything was hunky dory. He wasn't sure why he felt so off kilter about her being in town a day early. Maybe it was because he'd wanted to impress her with his nonchalance. Hodgins had said that women liked men who were confident and Zack had a hard time with that. He had actually planned to rehearse his "confident" facial expressions and body language in the mirror when he got home. Or maybe it was that Naomi had caught him alone in the break room earlier and told him, very explicitly, what she could do with her tongue to him. Zack had been a bit twitchy ever since.

Whatever it was, Zack felt exponentially more comfortable, now that his arms were wrapped around Brynn. She was so short that his chin easily rested on the top of her head. Aware that he was hugging her tightly, in the lab, in front of his friends, Zack pulled back from her. "You smell nice," he commented lamely. "Like vanilla and berries."

"Bath and Body Works. Making people smell better since the 90s," she chuckled.

He smiled weakly as he saw Hodgins, Booth, Angela, and now Dr. Brennan and Cam all grinning at the two of them. Brynn looked back at the assembled group and smiled, showing her dimples.

"Dr. Saroyan. It's a pleasure to meet you, finally," she said, stepping over to shake hands with Cam. "Dr. Brooke, the chief M.E. in Atlanta told me to tell you she said 'hi.' Apparently, y'all did your fellowships under the same doctor?"

"Amy Brooke? Really?" Cam looked delighted. "I didn't realize she was the M.E. in Atlanta."

"Yeah, I scrubbed in on a post she did two days ago on an African missionary that was originally thought to be ebolavirus."

"Since the CDC didn't release a statement, I'm assuming it wasn't ebola, then."

"No. Just an abnormally large, unconventional presentation of the herpes virus," Brynn said mildly. "Excellent from a national epidemic standpoint… From a virology standpoint, though, it was almost disappointing."

"Sweetie?" Angela said, tapping her on the shoulder.

"Hmmm?" Brynn asked, turning to look at Angela.

"Can I just say, 'EWWW' and get my point across?"

"Oh," Brynn said, startled. Then she laughed, "Sorry. Yeah, not a typical conversational topic, I know."

Cam winked at Zack and mouthed, "She's cute!" which made him blush, while Brynn and Angela closed the discussion on hemorrhagic fevers.

"I was so pleased to hear that you got the job at the Pentagon. When do you start work there?" Brennan asked.

"In two weeks, which is gonna be pushing it since I only put my house in Buckhead on the market this week and I have yet to find a place to live up here. I'm meeting with a realtor tomorrow to see if she has anything I'm interested in. Then, depending on what happens with my house, I might sell it furnished and just start fresh up here, or I might have to make arrangements for movers and then—"

"Did you you learn to talk like that from Zack or did he get it from you?" Booth looked dumbfounded. "Because, frankly, I've never heard anyone other than him get so much out in one breath."

Brynn cocked her head to one side as she carefully considered his question. Seeing the looks of amusement on everyone else's faces, she decided to run with it. So, she shrugged, "I would guess our brains just work faster than our mouths are meant to, huh? In the south EVERYONE talks so stinkin' slow. More than once I've had people just stare and me and nod when I talk." She flashed her dimples again. "In fact, the pastor at my church once told me, 'Brynn, you're cute as can be, but I never understand a thing that comes out of your mouth.' I think he meant it as a compliment, though. Or maybe not, in retrospect." Her brow furrowed and she looked contemplative.

Booth looked like he'd been jabbed with a cattle prod as he tried (and failed) to keep up with the monologue.

Stifling a laugh, Hodgins asked, "Why don't you just stay with Zack-o? Property values here are through the roof right now and it'll be almost impossible to find something in a safe area that won't cost you your first born child plus at least half a million."

"That could work," Zack said, playing his hand at nonchalance. "I mean, if you WANT to, I wouldn't mind."

"Maybe," she said, sounding a bit surprised. "Let's see what the realtor says tomorrow."

"You ARE staying at my place this weekend, though, aren't you?" Zack abandoned all pretense of coolness.

She grinned at him, "Sure. As long I'm welcomed."

"I think that might be a permanent thing, sweetie," Angela said with a grin as Zack's face flushed again. "Do you want to ride with us back to our place?"

"Oh, no… I need to rent a car since I'll be out and about some while I'm up here this time."

"This time? Unlike last time?" Cam queried, a wicked grin turning up her mouth.

"Ma'am?" Brynn looked a little puzzled.

"Ma'am? How old do you think I am, missy?" Cam asked, laughing.

"Sorry. 'Ma'am' and 'Sir' are habitual things to kids from the south. I didn't mean anything by it. I just didn't get what your question meant."

"I was guessing you never left Zack's place on your last visit?" Cam tried to look innocent, but she was too amused by the situation to manage it.

It was Brynn's turn to blush. "Oh… I… I wasn't up here very long last time. But, no, I really didn't need a car so much, then."

Hodgins rolled his eyes. "Ride with us. I'll loan you a car for the weekend."

"Oh! I don't want to impose," Brynn stammered.

"You're not imposing, Brynn. He's got about twelve of them that never even get driven," Zack pointed out, always the voice of rationality. "Let's go get your bags. I'll carry them out for you."

"Yeah… But it's not plural. It's just 'bag.' I had to check it and my purse at the front of the labs."

"Come on. Let's go get them," Zack said, determined to put an end to the fun the others were having with their speculating. "We'll meet you guys at the car." He reached out and grabbed Brynn's hand to guide her away.

"It was nice to see y'all, again. And Dr. Saroyan, nice to meet ya!" Brynn flashed them a smile, then submitted herself to Zack's tugging on her.

"OK, I don't know about y'all," Angela said with a huge smile, "But that might be the cutest thing I've ever seen."

"Her? Or them?" Booth leered suggestively.

"Shut up, Booth. I think it's they're kind of sweet," Brennan smacked Booth with her purse and smiled after the two of them.

Booth pretended his shoulder was hurt from the slap. "Gosh, Bones. Be gentle already! I would hate to have to fill out all of the paperwork on abusive partnerships at work."

She laughed and smacked him again.

Hodgins snickered. "I think those two need a little push into the land of normalcy. How would all of you like to join us for a mundane night of board games? 7:30, let's say?"

"I'm in," Cam said without hesitating. "In fact, I'll bring the wine."

"See?" Booth hissed. "Wine is a standard part of dinner."

"Oh! Dinner! Booth, I completely forgot that we were going to eat your seafood stuff tonight. Can we have it tomorrow night? I'm really intrigued with watching Zack and Brynn interact. Would that be OK?" Brennan looked apologetic.

Booth smirked. Two nights in a row with Bones? He could handle that. "Sure. I guess that could work if that's what you want, Bones."


	5. you kinda sucked at it

Once they were down the stairs from the forensics platform- and away from the prying eyes of… Well, everyone—Zack felt he could speak more normally.

"I've missed you," he said simply, hoping his eyes could tell her just how much. He enjoyed the fact that close contact, such as handholding, felt so natural between them. Everything about Byrnn was dainty and Zack really enjoyed how his hand engulfed hers. It made him feel uncharacteristically manly.

She beamed one of her double dimpled smiles at him and said, "I know. I missed you, too." Zack felt his insides swirl pleasantly. He knew that over the top public displays of affection were frowned upon, but really a quick little kiss wouldn't be so bad, would it? As he weighed the pros and cons in his head, trying to determine the appropriateness of the situation before he acted, Zack heard a derisive laugh come from the hallway behind them.

"I didn't realize it was high school career day!" Naomi stepped nearer, a nasty look on her face as she gave Brynn a once-over. "Aren't you just adorable?" Zack frowned. Naomi's tone did NOT match the compliment she'd just bestowed. Which, he supposed, meant she really hadn't meant it as compliment. He opened his mouth, but he was unsure of what to say.

"I've been told. Thanks," Brynn said mildly. She flashed a smile in Naomi's direction. Zack could feel her fingers tighten in his grasp, though. She knew Naomi hadn't meant it as a compliment. Zack wanted to defend her, but he had no clue how he could put a stop to this, short of grabbing Brynn and running away. He suspected that really wasn't the answer he was looking for.

"Are you a midget?" Naomi asked sweetly, showing her even, white teeth as she returned the smile. Zack was reminded of his neighbor's dog, baring its teeth at him through the fence as a youngster. This was not good at all. His well-oiled mind had grinded to a halt and all he could do was watch the scene unfold in horror.

"Nah. I'm 4'11. That's a whole inch above the 'dwarf' mark." Brynn turned to Zack and said, "You didn't tell me that the Jeffersonian was SO forward thinking, Zack!"

His brow furrowed more deeply, "I don't quite follow—"

"Hiring the intellectually challenged, silly!" She looked back in Naomi's direction with an exaggeratedly innocent face. "Really, hon, you lucked out! Better than flippin' burgers, yeah?"

Naomi turned puce from anger. Zack looked even more confused for a moment and then his face brightened. Brynn was making fun of Naomi! She wasn't offended that he hadn't saved her from the bitchy blonde.

"Are you going to let this little… Runty… PIPSQUEAK talk to me like that, Zachary?" Wow. Naomi was shaking with rage. Brynn still maintained her cherubic expression, though her eyes were twinkling.

A slow smile spread across Zack's face.

"After everything we've shared?" Naomi needled, watching Brynn's face for a reaction. Zack's stomach lurched. He knew Brynn had to have put two and two together about his relationship with Naomi, but that was hitting below the belt. Literally.

Brynn cocked her head to the side in a pitying expression before she reached out and patted the tall blonde's shoulder. "Sweetie… No offense, but he said you kinda sucked at it."

vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv

Hodgins and Angela had caught the very end of the Naomi encounter. She had been livid and Hodgins' unruly laughter had not helped the situation. She had stormed off amid the echoing laughter and Hodgins had raced over and smooched Brynn on the cheek whilst professing his love for her. Brynn had seemed startled at first, but Angela assured her that the entomologist was just thrilled to see Naomi get taken down a few notches.

"Dude," Hodgins laughed and shook his head. "You're hopeless." Turning his attention to the guard at the entrance, he said, "You were holding the young lady's bags?"

The older man plopped a hard-sided, pink trimmed suitcase and a brown patterned purse onto the visitors' counter. Zack stepped forward and reached for the bags.

"Sweetie!" Angela gasped, looking at the two items on the counter. "Are those Fendi?"

"Yup," Brynn said with a smile, taking her purse from Zack. "Atlanta's really good for shopping."

Angela was impressed, "Honestly, you didn't strike me as the type to be much of a shopper."

"I'm not, really," Brynn replied simply. "But, I usually just buy whatever people tell me I should," she shrugged. "Hey, it saves me the trouble, right?"

"Can I take you shopping?" Angela grinned. Her idea for a sexy makeover was going to be MUCH easier than she'd thought.

"If you want. It's pretty boring, though. I look absolutely ridiculous in nice adult clothes. Kinda like a kindergartener playing dress up in her mama's clothes," Brynn shouldered her bag, dimples popping.

"What's 'Fendi?'" Zack asked, hefting the suitcase to inspect the horse logo on the side. "And I think you look nice."

"Fendi is totally fabulous designer, sweetie," Angela enthused, examining the buckle on the side of Brynn's purse.

"Thanks, Zack. You're sweet," Brynn kissed him lightly on the cheek. "But, I think I got this sweater from Hollister. It's not exactly a 'career wear' kinda store. Luckily for me, I've spent most of my professional life in scrubs."

"We can SO fix that, sweetie. I wonder if Brennan's free tomorrow?" Angela was already thinking about what she could do to make Zack's jaw drop. Evening gown? Surely they could find a place that required formal dress… A nice corset and some garters would probably just frighten both Brynn AND Zack, but tasteful lingerie was always a great choice. Plus, maybe Brennan would be more likely to purchase some of Angela's suggestions if she saw Brynn doing so.

"Tomorrow?" Zack squeaked.

"Uh," Brynn glanced at Zack's stricken face. "I think I'm gonna be pretty busy all this weekend. But, I promise that when I get moved up here, you can play Barbie with me to your heart's content."

Hodgins punched the keyless entry to the new Mini Cooper Clubman and gestured grandly. "M'ladies, your chariot awaits." He grinned broadly, "And Zack, I suppose you can ride, too, dude."


	6. a Disney aficionado

The ride home had almost been awful. Zack had wanted to join in on the conversation, but he never quite felt comfortable enough with the topics. Angela and Brynn had a short chat about clothes—well, that certainly didn't work. Angela had picked out all of his clothes. He just wore them. Hodgins had a mild fit of road rage, which led to discussions of Atlanta area traffic—how could he comment on driving? He didn't do it. Going dancing was brought up—but Zack didn't think he had much rhythm. That and the fact he'd once been told he looked like a marionette in a windstorm when he danced. He finally had given up on looking for a chance to break into the conversation and had settled for watching himself try to look calm and self-assured in the reflection of the window. He was pretty sure he looked constipated more than anything so he chose to abandon that time-passer for staring straight ahead.

Then, Brynn had surprised him. She'd reached over and linked her fingers through his while she continued chatting about dance with the artsy woman in the passenger's seat. Feeling immeasurably more comfortable with the situation, he'd lightly stroked her hand with his thumb the rest of the ride home.

vvvvvvvvvvvvvvv

"Fried macaroni and cheese balls?" Brennan grimaced. "Booth, that does NOT sound like a good idea."

"You said once that all Zack ate was macaroni and cheese, right? It's perfect. Trust me." Booth tossed the box of frozen hors d'oeuvres into the shopping cart. He scanned the case of frozen foods in front of him. "Can Angela cook?"

"Umm, I guess it depends on WHAT you want to know if she can cook. Why?"

"Do you like spinach-artichoke dip?" Booth asked, holding up a box.

Brennan made a face. "Not that frozen stuff, no. But, **I** can cook just fine, Booth. Grab some spinach and a can of artichoke hearts. I'll go grab some jarred alfredo sauce and cheese. Do you like it with bread or with tortilla chips?"

"I'm not picky…" Booth was gazing at his partner in a most peculiar way. "I never knew you were so domestic, Bones. Will you wear an apron while you cook?" Booth leered at her playfully. He was rewarded with roll of her eyes before she set off in search of her ingredients. Chuckling to himself, he tossed a container of frozen chicken wings into the cart before he pushed it along after her.

vvvvvvvvvvvvvvv

"I'll get it!" Angela exclaimed at the sound of the doorbell. She threw open the fancy leaded glass door and ushered Cam into the foyer.

"Wow," Dr. Saroyan said, looking around the immense entryway. "Hodge-podge, this is HIGHLY impressive."

Hodgins waved his hands dismissively before he reached out to take the bottle of wine from her. "White zinfandel? Excellent! Thanks, Dr. Saroyan. Come on in," he gestured to the kitchen where Dr. Brennan was prodding a round crusty ball that Booth was holding out to her.

"Do you have something against hush puppies, Dr. Brennan?" Cam asked with a grin.

"No…" Brennan continued to look at the orb as if it were a bone anomaly. "This is fried macaroni and cheese." Her gaze shifted to her superior. "Have you ever had it?"

"Uhhh, no. Can't say that I have…" the one time coroner reached out to remove the golden brown food from Booth's fingers. "Has this been dropped, licked or otherwise been rendered inedible?"

"Nope. Bones here was just trying to figure out the appeal. I say deep fried, mac and cheese… How can you go wrong?" Booth snickered.

Cam shrugged and took a bite. When she was done chewing, she swallowed and shrugged. "It's not bad. It's… Well… It's fried macaroni and cheese. I'm sure Zackaroni'll like it." Then she glanced at the clock over the stove. "7:38? Is your clock right?"

"Yup," Angela said with an impish grin. "They're **late**. What does that tell you?"

Hodgins snickered and then said in his most melodramatic manner, "That our little Uriah's growing up before our very eyes?" He wiped away an imaginary tear. "Maybe this time, he won't quiz us about sexual positions afterwards."

"If he does, I swear to all of you, I **will** shoot him," Booth assured the group. "I'm not sure how I contained myself before, frankly."

Brennan, using a baking mitt printed in flames, removed the spinach artichoke dip from the oven. Placing it on a trivet on the kitchen island, she decided to weigh in on Zack and Brynn's tardiness. "Punctuality has never really been Zack's strong point. He's pretty much ten or fifteen minutes late everywhere he goes."

"You have a point. Dammit. I'd much rather think he's enjoying himself," Angela quipped. She reached out and used a tortilla to scoop out a bite of steaming spinach dip. "Bren!" she exclaimed. "This is awesome!"

Angela's compliment jolted everyone into action. Brennan grinned as everyone gathered around her _piece de 'résistance_. She enjoyed the praise for her culinary abilities. It seemed a more run-of-the-mill ability than identifying bones, which made her feel more accepted. More like "one of the gang," she supposed.

"Anybody home?"

"In here, dude," Hodgins called, jamming more dip in his mouth. "We have macaroni and cheese balls just for you!"

Zack came through the dining room archway, holding Brynn's hand in his. "Sorry we're late," he said sheepishly. Seeing the food scattered along the countertops, he immediately forgot his embarrassment and parted ways from Brynn to get to the food.

"Those ball things are all yours, buddy. Fried mac and cheese," Booth pointed them out, proudly. "Right up your alley, I hear. **I** picked those out, by the way. You can thank me by impersonating a human being tonight." Booth self consciously reached out and patted Zack on the shoulder with an open hand.

Brennan covered her smile with her hand. She was proud of Booth for making an effort to make Zack comfortable. And, of course, proud that he'd remembered something she'd mentioned to him in passing ages ago.

Zack bit into a macaroni ball and nodded. "Tasty. I've had these before, actually. They don't taste so great when you microwave them, I found out."

"So, why are you two late?" Hodgins asked, grinning from ear to ear.

Brynn snickered and Zack looked at the ground and mumbled, "Watching the end of 'High School Musical.'"

Hodgins cackled and then sobered. "I would mock you for that, but actually, I caught part of it the other night. Do I sound like a pedophile for saying that Vanessa Hudgins is hot?"

"I think she's nineteen or twenty," Brynn offered, selecting a cheese cube from a tray. "Which is why it was legal for that nude picture of her to be posted all over God's creation on the 'net." She popped the cheese into her mouth and then realized she was being gawked at. She swallowed and looked puzzled. "What? None of you read Perez Hilton? I thought that was one of my 'normal people' pastimes."

"Doesn't matter, you still sound sleazy, Hodgins. And Zack, I'll mock you for it," Booth offered, pouring wine into the glasses Angela had set out. "As long as no one bursts into song, though, I promise to not shoot anybody."

"Seeley, you have a child. How can you **not** watch the Disney Channel?" Cam queried, accepting the proffered wineglass.

"Are you saying **you** watch it, Camille?" Booth asked, taking a swig from his own glass.

"Don't call me 'Camille,'" she said.

"Don't call me 'Seeley,'" Booth responded. "And I didn't say I've never watched it. Parker loves 'The Suite Life'. I was just saying I'd never seen the music movie. You didn't answer me. Are you a Disney aficionado?"

Cam laughed, "Are you kidding? When I was little I wanted to be on the Mickey Mouse Club soooo badly! Only…" she took a sip of wine, "I can't sing or dance."

"I can sing pretty well," Brennan piped up, picking up a chicken wing and dipping it in the bleu cheese. "Booth, you have a nice voice, too. I've heard you sing." She nibbled the meat from the wing and tossed the remnants into the garbage.

He shot her a warning look, but she didn't seem to notice.

"Zack can sing," Brynn offered, dipping a tortilla in the dip.

Zack looked scandalized. Brynn popped the chip in her mouth and looked at everyone's stunned faces. "I guess that wasn't common knowledge, huh?" She went up on her tiptoes to kiss Zack on one of his flushed cheeks. "Oopsie. If it takes any pressure off of him, I can sing also. And dance. Kinda."

"I sure as hell can't sing," Angela laughed. "But, I like to try." Her eyes lit up, "You know what would be fun?"

Zack swallowed his macaroni without bothering to chew and asked, hopefully, "Playing Trivial Pursuit?"

"No, you dork," Hodgins exclaimed. "Have you even been following the conversation? Karaoke! **Great** idea, babe! I even have a sound system set up for it in the a/v room."

"You have a whole karaoke **system**?" Zack and Booth asked in unison. They looked at one another, startled to have voiced identical thoughts. Booth's expression darkened at the young scientist. Zack picked up a glass of wine and drained it one long gulp.

Cam sniggered into her wine. She had just known this was going to be fun.

Zack's brow furrowed. "Why would you have a karaoke system? Aren't there bars you can go to bars if you want to sing?"

"Dude, do you have any idea how hot karaoke was a few years ago? Being good at it was a surefire way to pick up hot chicks—and I had to practice my moves," Hodgins wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"Oh, really?" Angela looked amused, but tried to play it off as annoyed.

"That was all before you, babe," Hodgins immediately pointed out. Scuttling over to put his arm around her possessively, he smooched her on the cheek. "Now, my eyes are on the prize." He fluttered his lashes.

"I think that wine's already gotten to you and that's a sad, sad commentary on your tolerance, Hodgins," Booth pointed out. "You seriously think that karaoke is a good idea?

"Sure, why not? All in favor?" The bug guy took a vote.

A chorus of "ayes" echoed in the kitchen, leaving Booth looking mutinous and Zack looking perturbed.

vvvvvvvvvvvvvvv

A/N : Welllll? LOL The karaoking will start in the next chapter—which should be posted by tomorrow night. Thanks SOOO much to my beta, Red, for keeping me on track. I hope y'all're enjoying this, still. Wouldn't you like to offer me up a compliment? Or a suggestion? That little "go" button is just so easy to hit… 


	7. just what the doctor ordered

All of the food had been moved into the large audio room Hodgins had set up in the basement. It was a typical guy's paradise—all black leather sofas, plasma screen television screens and speakers galore.

Booth gazed around in appreciation. "This is **nice**. I'm not usually a jealous kinda person, but damn! All of this for karaoke?"

"Nah. Ange and I usually use it for watching movies. Sometimes, I use it when I'm researching specific particulates here at home," Hodgins said as he tapped on a keyboard at one of the desks. Two of the screens came to life with some magnified object. "Telenchulus Semipenetras," he said, gesturing with his hand. "A root mold common to Asian citrus trees."

"You had to take the coolness factor down a notch, huh?" Booth laughed. He turned around once more, admiring the room. "I bet the acoustics in here are terrific."

"All the better to sing in," Brennan tossed him a microphone, an impish look spreading across his face. "I think you should go first. What song would you like?"

"Me?" Booth looked cornered. "Oh no, Bones, not me. I'm not even going to participate in this. I'm just here to laugh at everyone else." He dropped the microphone into Zack's lap and retreated to the refreshments.

Zack jumped like he'd been burned and Hodgins rolled his eyes. "Oh good God. **I'll** go first." He snatched the microphone from the couch. "How about a little Bryan Adams in honor of my wonderful fiancée?" He typed in the song title he was looking for and the music keyed up.

As the opening notes of "Everything I Do, I Do It For You" floated through the speakers, all of the assembled women said, "Awwwwwwww!" The words were plastered up on the large screen in the front of the room as he began to sing.

Hodgins didn't do badly. He could carry a tune and he kept making goo-goo eyes at Angela, which added to the theme of the song. When he was done, he bowed to the applause of Cam, Dr. Brennan, and Brynn, and then he kissed Angela in a way that made Zack blush.

"I have a great idea!" Hodgins said with a wicked gleam in his eye. "How about the person that goes gets to pick the next singer AND the song they'll be singing?"

With the exception of protests from Zack and Booth, everyone thought that sounded like a brilliant idea.

Hodgins chose Dr. Brennan to go up next, giving her the song "How Did I Fall In Love With You – By the Backstreet Boys." She insisted she didn't know the song, but Hodgins was quick to point out that he knew for a fact she had the CD in her office. There was some ribbing about that, but eventually, Brennan admitted knew the lyrics. The whole song was about falling in love with your best friend. She had a lovely voice. It wasn't really well suited to this particular song, but everyone in the room knew why it had been chosen. She kind of stepped from side to side to the music as she sang. When she finished the song, she smiled sheepishly. As she stepped away from the front of the room, she gave Hodgins a light kick in the shin. He just grinned and jerked his head discreetly towards Booth. Then he turned towards the special agent to smile innocently. Booth flashed his gun and Hodgins stuck his tongue out.

Brennan picked Angela to sing next, selecting the song "I'll Be There" by Mariah Carey.

Angela was right. She couldn't sing, but she was laughing and trying to get it right. Cam, Brynn, and Hodgins sang noisily along with her. Booth had to laugh. If he was going to sing karaoke, surely this was the way to do it. Relaxing somewhat, thinking that Angela would pick Bones next, he sang along as well.

Angela finished to a chorus of hoots and wolf whistles, mostly from Brennan. She curtsied and walked over to the sound system. She typed in what she was looking for and then a slow grin spread across her face. She whispered something to Hodgins and then stood up with the microphone. She stopped in front of the sofa where Zack and Booth sat and waved the mic lazily between the two of them. Zack didn't move, but he did roll his eyes upward to look at her. She winked and then handed Booth the microphone as the title of the song flashed across the screen.

"How Can We Be Lovers? – By Michael Bolton"

As the music began, Booth thought about refusing but then decided "what the hell." He stood up and swayed from side to side as he got into the rhythm of the song. Byrnn bounded over and sat down where he had been and rocked Zack from side to side in time to the music.

As Booth sang, he couldn't help but let his gaze settle on Bones. This song wasn't something he would have chosen on his own, but he had to give Angela credit. She knew what song was most apropos. He hammed it up a little, doing a little boogey step over to Bones, who laughed at him and tried to back away. He grabbed her hand and pulled her closer to him, pulling her into his little side-to-side dancing shtick. At the end of the song, he twirled her out from him and then pulled her back in with a flourish. He grinned as his antics were met with catcalls and applause. Bowing to the audience, he moseyed over to select a song for the next performer.

"Don't worry, kid… I picked a classic for you," Booth chuckled as he tossed the microphone in Zack's direction.

Zack caught the mic in one hand, looking resigned to his fate. He stood, looking up at the screen dubiously and then a smile broke out on his face.

"My Girl—By the Temptations" scrolled across the white surface.

Taking a deep breath, Zack began, "I've got sunshine…"

The whoops of delight from his colleagues made him blush, but it was in a good way. He'd grown up singing in his family's church, so he knew that he could sing relatively well. He'd never really cared for being the center of attention, though, and he stood very still, staring at the words although he already knew them.

Angela and Hodgins grabbed Brynn and shoved her up next to him. Zack laughed self consciously, but gingerly slipped his arm around her waist and swayed from side to side with her. When he finished the song, he gave a little bow in the midst of their egging him to kiss her. He considered it for a second and then gave Brynn a quick kiss. The small crowd went nuts, and he blushed bright red as he pushed the mic into her hands and he shuffled over to pick out a song. Laughing out load at his selection, Zack flashed her a very self satisfied look before he leaned against the desk.

Moments later "(You Drive Me) Crazy – By Britney Spears" flashed across the screen. Brynn giggled and stepped from side to side to the beat of the music. She was right. She did have a pretty voice. But she had lied when she said she could "kinda" dance. She had a lot of rhythm and pretty soon had everyone dancing around.

From there on Cam sang "Unforgettable – By Nat King Cole," Hodgins howled out a version of "Unchained Melody," Angela and Brennan did a hilarious rendition of "Secret Agent Man," and Booth crooned out a couple of Elvis songs.

Hodgins brought in a few more bottles of wine and the night was definitely one to remember. Brennan sang a Christina Aguilera song, Zack and Brynn did a duet of a love song, Cam and Angela butchered a Beach Boys song and Booth and Hodgins laughed until they both had tears streaming down their faces.

The wine had been drunk and the night was winding down when Cam selected "I Say A Little Prayer for You" for everyone to sing together.

"Wasn't this on 'Runaway Bride'?" Angela asked, from her seat on Hodgins' lap.

"Yes!" Cam laughed. "And it looked like they were having **so much** fun when they sang it. Appease me, please?"

"I've seen that movie," Zack offered. "An entire restaurant bursting into song isn't exactly realism."

Brynn put her hand over his mouth. "It's a movie, hon." She turned to Cam, "We'd love to," she replied.

Zack poked his fingers into her ribs and she squeaked and jumped. He grinned at her and spun her around, bending down a bit so he could link his hands together around her waist.

Midway through the song, Booth noticed Zack and Brynn swaying gently to the music, Zack's cheek against Brynn's hair, looking entirely comfortable for once. With a smile, Booth nudged Bones, who in turn nudged Angela, who nudged Hodgins. All of them had to admit; this night of 'normalcy' had been just what the doctor ordered for their younger counterparts.

vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv

A/N : Well… Was that fluffy enough? LOL I can so see it all happening… Especially Booth singing Elvis for whatever reason. Mwahaha! Anyways, I'll be out of town for the next 3 days and I'm laptop-less. So, no updates until Sunday night at the latest—Maybe even not til Monday. Hope this chapter tides you over—And remember!!! Reviews make stories happen faster!!!!!


	8. It’s OK if you take advantage of me

"So," Zack chuckled as he and Brynn made their way up the stairs to his apartment. "Will you have a hangover tomorrow?"

"Why would I have a hangover?" she asked looking mildly confused.

"How much did you drink?" Zack fumbled with his key and dropped it. "Damn it." He stooped to pick it up and Brynn giggled.

"Not as much as you, it would seem." She took the key from him, going up on tiptoe to kiss him before she unlocked the door. "And, I don't think I've ever been drunk. I have exceptional tolerance AND I only had one glass of wine and then stuck with bottled water tonight."

Zack's thought processes seemed a little fuzzy to him. He wasn't exactly sure if it was from the wine or from the pheromones that were rolling off of Brynn. "Why'd you decide to have bottled water?"

"Well, Dr. Addy, I didn't want you to think you were taking advantage of me," she cast a sassy look in his direction before she turned and opened the door. Zack's mouth dropped open and he stood frozen on the welcome mat. She put her hands on her hips as she turned to look at him, amusement on her face. "'Course, I don't reckon that matters much since you're the one who's smashed."

"It's OK if you take advantage of me. I promise!" he pointed out quickly. "NOT that I'm drunk. I'm not. I'm… I'm…" Zack's nose wrinkled and he stood swaying slightly as he searched for the word he wanted.

"Impressively inebriated?" Brynn offered, dimples popping. She looked at his unsure stance and her brow furrowed. "Come to think of it… I didn't see you drink more than two glasses."

Zack shook his head and smiled a little goofily. "I didn't. I don't have great tolerance, I admit, but I can handle two glasses of wine." He stumbled over to the sofa where he plopped down and stared at the blank TV screen.

"Umm hmmm," came the sweet southern drawl from the kitchen. Brynn filled a couple of glasses with ice and water, grabbed some aspirin, and came to join him in the living room. She held one out and Zack took long swallow. "Do you think maybe your buddy Hodgins slipped something a little stronger into your glass hoping you'd lose your inhibitions?"

Zack shook his head, wiping away the water that had dribbled down his chin. "He knows that I like to keep my head and that's why I don't usually drink. So, I can't possibly see why he'd think that getting me drunk would make me any less inhibited, in fact, really, it makes me more so because I don't want to appear to be stupid in front of anyone, you especially, and…" Zack trailed off and took another swig of water and again ended up dripping. "Yeah, I guess he probably did."

Brynn snickered, "Ya think?"

"You can feel free to take advantage of me, though. Even if I were completely sober I would say that," Zack bobbed his head up and down eagerly. "So, really, I'm fine with it."

She ran her fingertips up the back of his neck into his hair. Twisting her fingers into it, she tugged on it lightly. Zack's eyes closed and he let out a groan of enjoyment.

"You look entirely too relaxed," she commented, still amused by his drunkenness. Eyes still closed, he grunted in reply. Amazed at her own audacity, Brynn swung her leg over him so that she was straddling his lap.

Brown eyes flying open, Zack was suddenly the most alert he'd been in months. His hands slipped onto her hips as she leaned into him and kissed him deeply. Instinctively, he pulled her body against his, but Brynn was already swinging her other leg over and standing up.

"That was wrong on so many levels," he groaned. Breathlessly he watched her casually pull her hair up into a bun.

"You're right. I shouldn't have done that. You're drunk."

Zack was flabbergasted, "You think I'm not attracted to you when I'm completely sober? Brynn! C'mon!"

"Of course I don't think that!" she looked hurt. "You told me you love me and I believe you. And I KNOW you're attracted to me, silly. But, I also wanna make sure you're fully cognizant and that alcohol isn't playing any part in this, K?"

"It's not!" Zack protested, standing up too quickly and bumping his shins on the coffee table. "Ow!" he grimaced and rubbed his shin. Brynn gave him a pointed look and he looked her unwaveringly. "That wasn't alcohol," he said. "I do that at least three times a week."

Brynn chuckled and held her hand out to him. "I love you, Zack."

He took her hand in his and stepped close enough to rest his chin on top her head. Inhaling the scent of her hair, he felt all warm and contented. All of a sudden his stomach lurched. "Brynn?" he quavered. "I think I… I'm…"

"Gonna be sick?" she asked, stepping back quickly as he dashed into his bathroom, hand clamped over his mouth. She knew Zack well enough from years of friendship to know he didn't want her help as he retched, so she busied herself, gathering up the water glasses and their popcorn bowl from earlier and rinsing them out before adding them to the dishwasher.

Upon hearing the gagging stop and the toilet flush, she slipped in through the bedroom doorway. Zack was standing in front of the sink brushing his teeth, clad only in his jeans.

"Shirt get in the splash zone?" she teased, leaning against the doorjamb and watching him spit a mouthful of suds into the sink.

He rinsed his mouth out with water and gargled noisily with mouthwash as well before he turned to face her. "You didn't arouse me because I'm inebriated. I don't want to sleep with you because I'm drunk. I think you're beautiful and I'm in love with you. Like Hodgins is with Angela."

"Like Dr. Brennan is with Agent Booth?"

"Yeah… And you barely know them. Isn't it funny that a virtual stranger can see that and they can't?" Zack asked with a quirk of his eyebrow. "And Agent Booth thinks I'M clueless." 

"Maybe he HOPES you're clueless," she guessed cannily, then looked at him more closely. "You feelin' better?" 

"Yeah. I do, but…" Zack looked like a kid who'd lost his puppy. " I AM drunk, though."

"I know," she responded simply. "C'mon. I'll tuck you in. Then, I'll have a shower, get comfy on the couch and read a little before I go to sleep."

"I'll sleep on the couch. The bed's more comfortable," Zack's speech was slightly slurred as he shuffled into the bedroom behind her. The combination of alcohol, fatigue, and his gastro-intestinal pyrotechnics had worn him down.

"Umm hmm," Brynn she agreed and she pulled down the comforter and top sheet of the bed. "Why don't you sit down and take out your contacts? I'll go get my stuff for a shower."

Zack sat on the edge of the bed and yawned. He really was exhausted. Brynn was rummaging through her suitcase in the living room. He really needed to get up before she coaxed him completely into the bed. He should just go lay down on the sofa. He was bigger--there was no way she could carry him into the bedroom. Instead, he lay back on the bed and drifted off.

After digging out her bath stuff along with some pajama bottoms and a tank top, Brynn peeked through the doorway and saw Zack, his legs dangling off of the side of the bed, arm thrown over his eyes, sound asleep. With a smile, she squatted down in front of him and quickly untied his shoes, slipping his feet out of them before she wrestled his legs up onto the bed.

Zack's eyes opened blearily, just in time to see Brynn switch the bedside lamp off. His voice, barely above a whisper, mumbled, "I didn't mean to take the bed. You could sleep with me, though, because I would never take advantage of you, Brynn-- Not that I wouldn't want to because you're really pretty and sexy and I've never felt like this about anyone before but because I just wouldn't do anything to risk losing you…"

He felt her lips brush his and heard her mellifluous voice murmur, "I know all of that, Zack. I love you, too. Rest now. We have plenty of time to be together." Her hand lightly stroked the stubble along his jawline.

A faint smile settled across Zack's youthful features as he drifted into dreams.

vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv

A/N : Sorry for such a long hiatus! We were in Atlanta for a birthday party, and then a stomach bug went from me to my daughter… Yuck! Hope this chapter was worth the wait!


	9. I’m not drunk

Zack awoke with a start. The room was awash in darkness. Sitting up to look around, his head throbbed. He rubbed his temples and tried to form coherent thoughts. How did he get in bed? Why was he still half dressed? What time was it? Lightning momentarily lit his room a split second before thunder shook the windowpanes. Ah. It was storming outside. The electricity must be out. He lay back against his pillow and listened to the sleet pinging off the windows.

He'd been having quite a dream. He'd dreamt that Brynn had been straddling him on the sofa, kissing him, but then she'd stopped, saying he was drunk, which was silly. He rarely drank and certainly never until he was intoxicated. Only, now that he thought about it, he'd had wine at Hodgins' last night. And he could vaguely remember standing in his bathroom and telling Brynn at one point that he WAS drunk. 

"Hodgins!" he grumbled as the memories flooded back. He was probably going to kill his proprietor come morning. Another tremendous crack of thunder accompanied a blinding flash of lightning. Despite his headache, he smiled.

"Brynn?" he called out as he swung his legs over out of his bed. His vision swam and he winced.

"Yeah?" came the muffled reply.

Zack crept to the doorway of his bedroom and squinted into the darkness of the living room. Another flash of lightening revealed a blanket-covered lump on the couch. "Still afraid of thunder?" he chuckled.

"I'm not AFRAID of it. I just don't like it too much," the lump replied.

He waited for another flash of light and stepped closer to Brynn, pulling the blanket from her face. "I'm gonna take some more aspirin. My head is killing me. Do you want me to stay out here with you? Or do you want to come to bed with me?"

"Neither. I'm fine. Really." Zack couldn't see in the gloom, but he could tell from her voice that she was still disconcerted by thunder. She'd been downright terrified of thunderstorms when they were younger. Disconcertment was a vast improvement.

He shrugged, choosing not to press the subject, but instead slid his feet along the floor until he got to the kitchen. Pulling a mini-flashlight out of the junk drawer he located the aspirin and took it with a swig of milk from the carton. After returning the medicine bottle to the cabinet, he rooted through the drawer for some matches. Retrieving a book of them, he played the beam of the flashlight over Brynn. She was curled up on one end of the sofa with a throw pillow covering her face.

"Are you certain you don't wanna come in here with me? It would be much more comfortable for the both of us…" he trailed off as another window shaking crack of thunder joined the strobe effect of the lightning.

"Do you think the storm's gonna last much longer?" Brynn asked, peering at him from under the pillow

"I have no idea, honestly. I'm more likely to know the weather in Michigan than I am to know what the forecast is here." Picking up a small scented candle from the end table, Zack lit it with a match. "C'mon. I'll be on my best behavior. Cross my heart."

"I'm that easy to resist, huh?" she cracked, extricating herself from the blanket and standing up to join him as more thunder rumbled around them.

He looked at her blankly for a beat and then complained, "You KNOW that's not what I meant! Is that a girl thing? Twisting around everything I say?"

Brynn giggled as she made to slip in between Zack and the doorframe to his room, "Yeah, I think it might be. I was just picking, though. I know you didn't mean anything of the sort." 

She was so close to him that he couldn't help himself. He slipped his hands onto her hips, pulling her body up against his own. Then, he dipped his head and grazed his lips over her bare shoulder.

"I'm not drunk," he said, sotto voice, willing her to follow his meaning.

"I thought your head was throbbing?" Brynn asked, turning to search his boyish candlelit face.

Zack spoke without thinking, "I think the majority of my blood flow has stalled out a couple of feet below my head. No blood flow, no throbbing." Without even waiting for a response from Brynn, he grimaced, "I can't believe I just actually said that aloud. I really am a complete--"

Brynn just laughed and reached her arms up around his neck, cutting his self-deprecation off with a kiss.

Zack pulled back suddenly. "You're not gonna change your mind again, are you? Because I really think that I'll have to spend the rest of the night out in the sleet if you do."

"I didn't MEAN to do that, Zack. I just felt like I would be taking advantage of you or something. I really am sorry." Brynn was on her tiptoes, looking into his eyes earnestly.

Zack smiled down at her, "If I remember correctly, I DID say I was OK with that."

She rolled her eyes and Zack seized the moment, picking her up and depositing her on the bed. As their lips met, the storm outside raged on, all but forgotten. 

vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv

Outside of Brennan's apartment, the thunder continued to roll. Ever since the Christmas kiss, she and Booth hadn't really been able to dismiss their feelings for one another. Of course, they wouldn't acknowledge the mutual attraction with words, but their actions spoke volumes. 

Now, as the sleet rained down from the sky, the partners were lying on a large blanket in front of the fireplace, her head lying against his chest, his arm around her. 

It had all started innocently enough. Booth had driven her home and then, when they had gotten there, she'd invited him up for a drink. He'd accepted and then, when the fire had been stoked, he'd asked her if she'd ever made s'mores over the fire. Of course, she never had. Nor did she have the accoutrements to make the sticky treats. But, Booth, being, well… Booth…had the makings out in his SUV. He had planned to make them with Parker the following weekend, but he had plenty of time to replenish his supplies.

Booth had shown the lovely scientist how to toast the marshmallow just so (on a kabob skewer supplied by her) and then to sandwich it in with the graham cracker and chocolate. He had been delighted by her childlike wonderment with the campfire food.

"I can't believe you've never had these things, Bones! They're an American institution!" he teased.

"When on earth would I have ever eaten these?" she had laughed in her sultry way and set about making yet another.

Booth had grinned his most charming smile at her as he dabbed some marshmallow fluff from the corner of her mouth. He hadn't been too sure because of the flickering of the firelight, but he thought she might have blushed. 

They'd eaten quite a few s'mores when Booth said, "Well, I guess I should get going. It's really getting late."

"Yeah," Brennan had agreed, not moving from where she was sitting near the hearth.

Booth had started to stand when he'd felt her hand on his leg. "Booth, don't go. You could… Stay…"

So, he had. He'd reached his hand down to Bones and pulled her to her feet. "Do you like to dance, Bones?" he had asked, pulling her into his body.

"There's no music," the slender scientist had murmured, leaning her head into his chest.

"Ah, c'mon, Bones… The rain has a certain rhythm, don't you think?" Booth gently locked his arms around the woman he loved and began slowly, rhythmically, swaying her. 

She fell into step with him, their bodies pressed close to one another as they danced to the cadence of the storm. The close dancing eventually melded into kissing, the kissing into caressing in the firelight… No words were spoken, yet their lips spoke volumes of their love for one another. 

The sleet and the thunder rolled on outside of the apartment, unnoticed.

vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv

A/N : More B/B fluff in this bit than usual, just because, dang it, the writers won't put it in so someone's gotta! 


	10. I would quite likely punch you

"I don't know why you're so resistant to the idea of a maid," Hodgins grumbled at his lover, throwing a handful of crumpled white socks into a pile.

"A maid?" Angela looked at him in disgust. "Who are you, Daddy Warbucks?"

"Fine! A 'housekeeper' if we're playing the semantics game. Why should we be down here sorting dirty clothes when I could easily pay someone else to do it and we could be…" Hodgins paused and leered, "Otherwise occupied!"

"Jack, you've lived here for years without a housekeeper. Why would you want one now?" Angela asked, looking carefully at the label of the burnt orange blouse she was holding.

"Because I've never had the urge to spend ALL of my time in bed until now!" he countered with a lascivious grin.

Chuckling, Angela shook her head and tossed the blouse into another pile. "And I thought the rumors about you being such a horn-dog were exaggerated."

"What can I say, baby? You do something special to my libido!" The bug guy grinned, pulling Angela in close for a kiss. "You know, we haven't christened this table yet …" he trailed feather-light kisses up the side of her neck.

"Wow… I thought we'd managed to get every room of the house," she giggled, pushing herself up so that she was sitting on the work table, her legs wrapped around his waist. "How about w—" Angela stopped suddenly upon hearing footsteps nearing the room.

"Dude, I will be forced to kill you if you interrupt this," Hodgins called out.

Zack's head popped around the doorframe. "I don't really want to die, but you promised Brynn she could borrow a vehicle. She has to leave in about 15 minutes. Uhhh, hi, Angela." The boyish scientist looked embarrassed to see Angela's legs wrapped around Hodgins.

"Hi, Sweetie!" Angela couldn't help but giggle as Hodgins buried his face into her neck and groaned. "Jack'll go get the keys now. Won't you, honey?" 

"As soon as I kill Zack, sure," he grumbled. He shot Zack an annoyed look and kissed Angela hard and deep, just to make Zack squirm. Cutting his eyes to the side to see if Zack was still standing there, he hissed his displeasure when he saw that his boarder hadn't budged. Hodgins released Angela and stalked towards the doorway. He pulled up short next to Zack and eyed him suspiciously. Because of Zack's awe for Agent Booth and his prowess with women, the entomologist knew Zack would do his best to keep mum as to his and Brynn's relationship status. Hodgins decided he'd just have to play dirty to get the gossip.

Zack's brow furrowed and he looked warily at Hodgins, who was still surveying him with a wicked grin. "What?"

"Some storm last night, huh?"

"Uhhhh, yeah?" Zack shifted uncomfortably, fighting to keep his face blank.

"Great weather for getting it on, dude," Hodgins needled with a sly grin.

"I wouldn't know. I was completely intoxicated," Zack replied pointedly.

Angela covered her mouth, and shook with silent laughter as Hodgins' smile broadened, "So? Drunken sex is still sex. The less inhibitions the better, man!"

"If I were prone to violence, I would quite likely punch you," the taller man commented blandly.

"Dude. Don't even give me that puppy dog look. I know you got some, finally," Hodgins chuckled. 

"Why would you think that?" Zack asked. "I certainly have done nothing to imply that Brynn and I—"

Hodgins snickered. He knew Zack well enough to know that this ploy would work perfectly. "Don't play all innocent, Uriah. You REEK of sex," Hodgins said smugly, crossing his arms over his chest. 

Zack blanched, " I do not! I took a shower!" 

Reaching out to ruffle Zack's hair, he exclaimed, "Dude! That was just too easy."

Angela hopped down from the table and walked over to them. "Sweetie, really… I can't believe you fell for that."

Feeling the heat rise in his cheeks, Zack shrugged helplessly. "I have no clue how to even respond to the two of you because I know that this isn't something that I should be openly discussing, so if you please, Brynn really does need to borrow a car and I think that she's probably out of the shower by now so could you please just get the keys to whatever car she's going to use?" he said all in a rush to cover his embarrassment.

"Wow… That was double-time even for you, dude."

Narrowed brown eyes shot the dirtiest look in Hodgins' direction.

"I'm going, I'm going!" Hodgins laughed as he started down the hallway. "In gratitude, YOU can sort my laundry, though," he quipped over his shoulder.

Zack looked at the mound of clothing and then at the Cheshire grin on Angela's lovely face. "I am NOT touching his socks or underwear."

Angela shooed the laundry pile with her hands. "Honey, if you give me the scoop, I assure you that you won't have to touch ANY of it!" 

vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv

Bright morning light was streaming in through the blinds in the living room. Dr. Brennan yawned and rolled away from the bands of sunshine, snuggling into Booth's chest. Wait, what? She pushed up on one elbow and gazed around her living room and then back to the hunky FBI agent lying on the floor next to her.

"Mornin', Temperance," he drawled. His hair was tousled and he still looked pretty sleepy, despite the late morning hour. 

"You're still here," she said, stating the obvious.

Booth looked hurt. "Of course, I'm still here. Why wouldn't I be? You think I'm just gonna walk out on you in the middle of the night?" He reached up and pulled her back down against him, dropping a kiss on her hair.

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised, huh?" she smiled into his chest. "You're always here for me, Booth." She ran her hand down his muscle-hardened abs and fingered the button to his jeans. "I…" she paused, unsure how to continue. She could feel Booth's breathing stop, his lungs fully inflated. 

"Yeah?" he said breathlessly. 

She hated herself for not saying what she really wanted to. She could… She could just tell him that she loved him. She knew he wouldn't disappear on her. Closing her eyes, she murmured, "I… really appreciate everything, Booth."

Booth's breath came out in a whoosh. Then there was a moment of silence.

"Don't mention it, Bones," he responded and even she could hear the sadness in his voice.

Standing up quickly, smoothing her wrinkled shirt and running her fingers through her auburn hair, Brennan stammered, " I could… Umm… I could make breakfast. Do you like waffles?" 

Booth sat up and surveyed his partner wordlessly. She was so lovely, yet so wounded. Although it broke his heart, he understood. Her psyche—although she would never admit it-- was still raw from all of the times she'd been left in her life. He needed her to know that he would remain true to his word. He would ALWAYS be there for her, even if it meant risking his own heart while she learned to trust in him.

He flashed her his most charming, boyish grin as he stood. "Who doesn't like waffles? If there's bacon, of course. Everything's better with pork products, I think."

She rolled her eyes and laughed huskily as his smile had its usual affect on her. "Bacon is bad for you. I might be able to find some turkey sausage."

Booth groaned. "Turkey sausage? You're determined to suck all the enjoyment out of my breakfast, aren't you?"

"I'm just looking out for your health," she argued

vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv

A/N : Wha'cha think? Is Hodgins not diabolical? LOL And the B/B smoochiness is so fun! **claps her hands** I'll try to get more up soon… But, of course the faster I get reviews, the faster I post. Tee hee. I am wicked.


	11. It's not conjecture!

"Are all of us really necessary for this case

"Are all of us really necessary for this case? It's Saturday. Will the body not be available on Monday?" Zack asked plaintively. It was early afternoon and he'd just sent Brynn a text message that he and the others would have to be at the Jeffersonian for the rest of the afternoon.

"Because they found the body today, you tool. And we are 'the best of the best of the best, Sir! With honors!'" Hodgins replied, lightly shaking a jar of beetles and listening to them hiss.

Zack frowned and reached for the jar, "They don't like that."

"What movie was that quote from, Zack-o?" Jack pulled the captive bugs closer to his torso and uncapped the jar to drop in a chunk of dry dog food.

"What quote?" Zack looked perplexed, crossing his arms over his chest.

"It was Men in Black, sweetie," Angela offered from her perch on the stainless steel autopsy table where she was filing her nails. "Will Smith? Tommy Lee Jones? Aliens?" She glanced up and rolled her eyes at his befuddled stare. "Never mind, honey." She turned her attention to her best friend who was just walking out of her office. "So, Bren, what'd you do last night during that storm?"

Brennan glanced up from the file she was carrying and stammered, "Oh. Uhh, nothing, really. Just… Stayed in."

Angela eyed the other woman and then shrugged. "OoooooooooK."

Hodgins grinned, " And we all know what ZACK did last night…"

The electronic beep of a keycard being slid through the platform's security system sounded and Booth sauntered onto the platform, saving Zack from having to respond.

Dr. Brennan was amused by her protégé's embarrassment, but covered for him nonetheless. "Zack, this case from Limbo… Number 7-0093… This man died of natural causes, do you concur?"

"Yes, Dr. Brennan," he replied, sagging slightly in relief. "And his pelvic girdle and femur put him at 60 – 75 years of age, making that supposition all the more likely."

Hodgins sniggered as he leaned into Angela and nuzzled her neck.

Zack averted his eyes from the couple, cleared his throat and studied the ceiling. A beep-beep sounded from his pants pocket and he snatched out his cell phone and looked at the display, a faint smile playing at his lips.

"Aww," Angela cooed to Hodgins with a sly grin. "That might be the cutest thing ever."

Zack blushed a little as he tapped the keypad rapidly. Without looking up, he mumbled, "Brynn said the housing market here is horrid and she might have to take me up on Hodgins' offer."

"To which you said…" Angela prodded.

"That she's welcome to stay at my place as long as she likes, of course," he replied, pocketing his cell phone.

Booth patted Zack on the back, "See, kid? It's not THAT hard pretending you're normal."

Hodgins nudged the FBI agent and flashed a huge grin, "Booth, we've gotta get a move on, Zack has other people, err… Things to be doing."

"That is disgusting. I don't want to think about Zack doing anything to anybody." Booth grimaced dramatically and Zack, in an uncharacteristically bold move, made a face at his back. "What's up, Bones?" He leaned cockily against the banister, discreetly eyeing his partner's figure. He glanced over at Angela and Hodgins and, noting their keen interest in his interest, turned business-like. "I hear we have a case for the Squint Squad."

"Let's hope so, man, seeing as how it's Saturday afternoon and we were alerted that we had to be here or else." Hodgins leaned his head back lazily as Angela ran her nails through his hair.

"I didn't say 'or else,'" Cam said, walking into the room. "I just told you to come. The body doesn't have nearly enough soft tissue for me to be of much good. Hence the phone calls I made to the rest of you."

"Why wasn't I called to the site?" Brennan asked sharply. "With all due respect, Dr. Saroyan, I'm supposed to handle all of the skeletal remains, not you."

"I agree," Cam said easily. "And the remains have not been compromised, I assure you." She turned and looked at Booth, "Your cell phone and home phone numbers were both unanswered for quite some time. So, this case was initially given to Agent Rousseau. I met him at 7:45 this morning to oversee the removal of the body from the lake. Apparently," she turned back to Dr. Brennan with a smirk, "I'm the actual contact according to the FBI. Seeley just chooses to skip over me in favor of your… Expertise."

Booth looked mildly uncomfortable as he said, "Yeah, yeah. Rousseau signed off on the case. It's mine, now. I have no idea why I never heard my phone ring in my apartment, but my cell phone battery ran out of juice. I'm guessing, with the FBI involvement and all, this is a murder investigation?"

"It looks to be. The body appears to be that of a pre-adolescent… Or a short adult… Or maybe a tall child. This really isn't my thing," Cam didn't look apologetic--instead she was watching Booth with bright-eyed interest.

"Why would that look like a murder? It could just as easily be an accidental drowning… A body washed from a grave… There are many things that it could be other than murder," Brennan argued, still miffed she hasn't been included.

"Most accidental drowning victims don't have their hands and feet bound. But, I suppose I could be wrong."

"Where's the body? Is that it?" Brennan was in complete scientist-mode. She pulled her auburn hair up into a bun as she strode across the room to the shrouded corpse on the far autopsy table. "Zack, assist me, please."

Zack hurried over and helped her to carefully raise the tarp that covered the heap of skeletal remains without displacing anything. For the most part, the skeleton was intact, but the spine had been twisted and bent into a most unnatural fashion, while the wrist and anklebones bound with what looked to be nylon straps.

"Since the body was found in a lake, I'm sure there's a plethora of insect and plant activity. Not to mention particulates to examine. Hodgins, you can go ahead and collect samples from the body. Ange, the skull is in excellent condition… We'll be able to have tissue markers done shortly. Any impressions now?"

With a look of extreme distaste, Angela grumbled, "Yeah, I'm under the impression that I SO need a new job." She stepped closer, though, to examine what had at one time been a face. "Young. I don't think this was an adult, Bren."

Dr. Brennan nodded thoughtfully as she turned to Zack. "The bones won't require much maceration. The flesh that's there is already pulled away from the bone in most places. You can clean the bones so that we can do a full examination as soon as Hodgins is done. Please do the skull first so that I can get the tissue markers in place for Angela to start on."

"Yes, Dr. Brennan," Zack replied, stifling a yawn.

"Cam? Did the body come with paperwork?" Booth looked around for the folder that should have accompanied the corpse. He figured that going over the paperwork would give him an excuse to stay in the lab and keep an eye on his partner.

"It did. Along with photographs from the scene," she responded. Lowering her voice, she asked, "Were you where I suspect you were last night?"

"I was at home, Camille."

"No you weren't, Seeley. Your car was nowhere in sight AND I beat on your door for at least a quarter of an hour."

Booth grumbled, "Don't call me Seeley."

"Don't call me Camille," she responded. "I was just curious. Don't worry. I'll go along with your story if it makes you…" Dr. Saroyan's eyes slid over to the table where Dr. Brennan was directing Dr. Addy's work. "Or her… Happy."

Booth didn't respond and Cam simply patted him on the shoulder and walked away.

vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv

"These bones are in bad shape, Dr. Brennan. Angela might have been wrong about it being a young person. The bones all show signs of osteoporosis as well as repeated stress fractures AND arthritic lipping." Zack furrowed his brow as he reexamined his findings.

"Well, we've determined that the bones are from a female who's never had a child. Probably between 4'8 and 5'2… There's really not much to go on," the anthropologist looked stumped.

Hodgins poked his head around the wall and announced, "The nylon that bound the wrists and ankles is fairly common. It's used in various activities including, but not limited to, parachuting, rock climbing, and white water rafting. The only thing I can't figure out is why it's sewn into such a small loop. Even if the nylon were laid flat, it's less than thirty inches long. What on earth could you use that for? There would be considerably more to a rock climbing tether or a parachute harness." Hodgins held up the pair of offending fabric loops. When no one gave him offered a suggestion he tossed them onto the stainless steel table with the skeleton. "I'm at a loss."

"Hey, y'all!" Brynn was standing at the base of the forensics platform, still bundled up from outside. "Can someone buzz me up, pretty please?"

Booth was closest to the entrance so he swiped his keycard and made a sweeping gesture across the room, "Welcome to Castle Greyskull. Home of Skeletor… There was this cartoon character called He-Man… Never mind. I bet it was before your time."

"Nah, I know who He-Man is, although I preferred She-Ra. My cousins used to try to sneak their plastic Castle Greyskull into my bedroom to scare me when I was really young," Brynn flashed a dimpled grin at Booth who smiled back.

"What I want to know is, why are you wearing Oscar the Grouch on your head?" Hodgins poked her fuzzy green knit cap with amusement.

"Cute, ain't it?" she drawled. "I have a matching scarf and gloves." She fished in her pocket and triumphantly produced gloves in the same virulent shade of green.

Hodgins chuckled, "So, no luck on the real estate market?"

Pulling off her cap and black leather jacket she shrugged. "I saw a couple of cottages that were cute, I guess, but they were either much further away from work than I would like or they were in areas of the city that are a bit iffy, crime-wise."

"Guess you'll just have to stay with Zack for a while, huh?" Angela beamed as she and Dr. Saroyan walked onto the platform, large bags of Thai carryout in hand.

"Guess so," she agreed, grabbing one of the heavier bags from each of them. "Speakin' of… I think your cell battery died, Zack. I got your text, and then, when I tried to call you and tell you I was done but only got your voice mail. I took a chance came here first since you said y'all had a case."

Zack looked up, surprised. "Oh… Yeah… I don't use my cell phone very often. I think I forgot to charge it at all this week." He pulled it out of his pocket and looked at the display and then back up at Brynn. "Sorry."

"No big deal," she said with a shrug as she set the bags down on the table with the rest of the food. Twisting her long red hair into a bun, the tiny woman glanced at the autopsy table. She frowned as she looked at the body. "Man, I hate working on kids. It always depresses me."

"Well, we THINK this is the body of an elderly adult female. The bones are incredibly damaged," Brennan explained. "Look at the MRI scans and X-rays we took."

Zack dutifully tapped away on the keyboard and the big screen display came alight with the images. "See the healed fractures here? And here? And here? Plus the bones have been weakened by osteoporosis, which caused multiple stress fractures in the back, tibia, and femur. Also, we think that…" Zack trailed off as Brynn circled the table to the nylon straps. Seeing her interest in the non human debris, he explained, "Those were what her ankles and wrists were bound with before her body was thrown into the water."

Brynn looked a little queasy. "I'll bet you anything that the body you're looking at is that of a high level gymnast."

"What? How on earth could you come to that conclusion?" The senior anthropologist looked skeptical. "With all due respect, we don't typically work on conjecture here, Brynn."

Green eyes flashed angrily as they collided with the scientist's blue ones. "With all due respect, it's not conjecture. Have you ever heard of the female athlete triad?" she asked, dropping her gaze to the fabric loops on the table by the skeleton.

"Vaguely. It's a condition common among college athletes, yes? Characterized by eating disorders and amenorrhea, if my memory serves me correctly."

The diminutive redhead nodded. "It's also characterized by osteoporosis. It's disturbingly common among elite gymnasts. The disordered eating causes the loss of estrogen, which causes the amenorrhia, which leads to a decrease in calcium, which, in turn, causes osteoporosis at an early age. That would explain the decimation of the bone as well as the stature of the…" Her eyes darted to the skeleton. "Victim. Wouldn't it?"

"It could…" Dr. Brennan still seemed doubtful. "But the osteoporosis and short stature could also be indicative of a short elderly woman just as easily."

Brynn shook her head. "These loops. Do you know what they are?"

"Nope," Hodgins responded around a bite of curry. "I looked everywhere I could think of, but they remain a mystery to me. Do you know what they are?" He swallowed quickly and sauntered over, his hunger overcome by curiosity.

"Yup. They're straps."

"Well, we knew that," Brennan responded with a roll of her eyes.

"No, Dr. Brennan. They're called 'straps.' Gymnasts use them to learn certain skills on the bars. May I?" she picked up a couple of rubber gloves and held them up inquisitively.

"Go ahead."

Slipping her small hands into the gloves, she picked up a strap and turned it over in her hand, before she looped her hand into it, securing herself to the rail of the table. "You have what's called a strap bar, it's usually a bit of plastic piping covered in tape placed over a regular men's bar. Then the gymnast loops her hand into the straps like this and is essentially tied to the bar. It makes learning some skills much easier because there's no fear of falling."

"Sounds like abuse to me," Angela scowled, looking at the strap twisted around the small wrist.

"But that's how it works in high level gymnastics," Brynn explained, removing the strap from her wrist. She looked up at Dr. Brennan. "See? It wasn't conjecture. I've seen this stuff before."

Zack looked nervously from his girlfriend to his mentor.

Dr. Brennan looked at Brynn and then smiled and nodded. "Excellent." She turned to look at Booth. "Does that give us enough to go on until we get a face?"

"More than enough," Booth responded. He was already keying in the gymnastics angle to the missing and exploited children's database.

"Looks like we have a hit," Booth stated grimly. "Abigail Reynolds. Went missing in late June from near State College, Pennsylvania. She was attending a gymnastics camp at the time."

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A/N : Sorry it's taking me longer between chapters now. The lack of reviews damages my muse's feelings. HINT HINT. LOL Plus, life gets in the way of fanfic, sometimes. Push the little button and give me some love and I'll get the next chapter up sooner!!


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